Editing Plaid Cymru (section)

====First National Assembly (1999–2003)====
In the [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election|1999 election]], Plaid Cymru gained seats in traditional Labour areas such as [[Rhondda (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Rhondda]], [[Islwyn (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Islwyn]] and [[Llanelli (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Llanelli]], achieving by far its highest share of the vote in any Wales-wide election. While Plaid Cymru regarded itself as the natural beneficiary of devolution, others attributed its performance in large part to the travails of the Labour Party{{who|date=November 2011}}, whose nomination for [[Assembly First Secretary]], [[Ron Davies (British politician)|Ron Davies]], was forced to stand down in an alleged [[sex scandal]]. The ensuing leadership battle, won by [[Alun Michael]], did much to damage Labour, and thus aided Plaid Cymru, whose leader was the more popular and higher profile [[Dafydd Wigley]]. The Labour Party's UK national leadership was seen to interfere in the contest and deny the popular [[Rhodri Morgan]] victory.<ref>{{cite news |title=Morgan is more popular — Michael |work=[[BBC News]] |date=17 February 1999 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/281166.stm |access-date=31 July 2008 |quote=Mr Michael, who has Prime Minister Tony Blair's backing, has been widely predicted to come first due to the form of electoral system used. An electoral college composed of three groups — politicians, trade unions and party members — will determined the winner. Large unions such as AEEU that have made their choice after a ballot of a small number of delegates are backing Mr Michael, but Mr Morgan has won every union member vote, including the shopworkers' union Usdaw on Tuesday night. Mr Morgan, a left-wing backbencher, has also repeatedly topped opinion polls taken among Labour Party members in Wales. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021231172945/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/281166.stm |archive-date=31 December 2002 |url-status=live }}</ref> Less than two months later, in [[1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|elections to the European parliament]], Labour support slumped further, and Plaid Cymru came within 2.5% of achieving the largest share of the vote in Wales. Under the new system of [[proportional representation]], the party also gained two MEPs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Plaid Cymru then developed political problems of its own. Dafydd Wigley resigned, citing health problems but amid rumours of a plot against him.<ref>{{cite news |title='Wigley downfall' plot denied |work=[[BBC News]] |date=14 July 2000 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/832595.stm |access-date=31 July 2008 |quote=Mr Wigley's announcement that he was to give up the presidency of Plaid Cymru in May came as a shock. Although he had been in hospital undergoing heart surgery, he was expected to resume his career. Some Assembly members said privately that he had taken on too much — being an MP, AM, party president and also group leader in the National Assembly. But there was also the suggestion that there was a conspiracy to oust him. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202103553/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/832595.stm |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> His successor, [[Ieuan Wyn Jones]], struggled to impose his authority, particularly over controversial remarks made by a councillor, Seimon Glyn.<ref>{{cite news |title=Moderate with a hard act to follow |work=[[BBC News]] |date=4 April 2003 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2905677.stm |access-date=31 July 2008 |quote=But Mr Jones was soon facing questions about his credentials for the job. Seimon Glyn, until then a fairly obscure Plaid Cymru councillor from Gwynedd, had made controversial comments on BBC Radio Wales about inward migration into Welsh-speaking communities. The issue was raised when Mr Jones appeared on the BBC's Question Time in Caernarfon, and he was criticised for his response, in which he at first denied that Mr Glyn had referred to English as a foreign language. There were more problems when Plaid's then chief executive said that Mr Jones was on a learning curve in the job. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622132648/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2905677.stm |archive-date=22 June 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the same time, Labour leader and First Minister Alun Michael was replaced by Rhodri Morgan.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], notwithstanding Plaid Cymru recording its highest-ever vote share in a general election, 14.3%, the party lost Wyn Jones's former seat of [[Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)|Ynys Môn]] to [[Albert Owen]], although it gained [[Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (UK Parliament constituency)|Carmarthen East and Dinefwr]], where [[Adam Price]] was elected.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}